Brake lock



F'. L.' COLLINS BRAKE LOCK Filed March l5, 19537' .'...........-;a /nlfnf /Lo D Patented Sept. 27 1927.

uni ST FRED .LEE COLLINS, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO.

BRAKE LOCK.

Application iled Merch 15, 1W?. Serial No. 175,574.

'l'his invention relates to a lock designed Vl'or use in connection with air brakes or hand brakes ot' railway cars, one of the objects beingr to provide simple and efficient means whereby a brake, after being applied, will be held against release due to breakage ot' parts, leakage ot' air, etc.

A tui-ther object is to provide a. device of this eintrat-ter which can be applied to a structure already in use and has means whereby the same can be disengaged readily trom the restrained .structure when release ol the brake is desired.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, Ihe invention resides in the cornbination and arrangement ot parts and -in the details of construction hereinafter de scribed and claiiued, it bein r understood that changes in the precise en'ibodiment of the invention herein disclosed may he made within 'the scope of what is claimed, without departing' vfrom the spirit. oi' the invention.

1n the accompanying drawings the preferred 'torni ot the invention has been shown.

1n said drawings,

lligure l is a side elevation o'i' a portion ol" car and brake structure thereon showing the present improvements combined therewith.

.iiigure shown in liigure 1, shown iu section.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the combined rech -guide and clamp.

lieterring to the figures by characters of reference A designates a portion ot' a cylinder ot the air brake apparatus of a car, the piston rod. B being connected at C to a lever l) l'orining a part of Ithe brake mechanism.

The structure constituting the present invention includes a clamp 1 in the form of a split ring' adapted to be placed around and a pian View ot' the mechanism the operating rod being to bind upon one end portion of the cylinder A, this clamp being provided with an extension El grooved as at 3 and provided with a cover plate Lt whereby the gi'ooved portion and the plate will constitute a guide for a rack bar 5. This rack bar is slidahly mounted and has ratchet teeth 6 along one face, there being a Win" 7 at one end ot' the rack har connected to die piston rod B at (l.

Extending transversely of the cylinder A is a sha/ft 8 mounted tor rotation in suitable bearings 9, there being a crank arm l :it each end of the shaft adapted to be supported adjacent the side of the car E so' that, if desired, the shaft can be rotated by hand by a person standing adjacent one side thereof. A crank 11 is provided on the sha t`t and is connected by a rod 12 to a bell crank 13. .tu actiiatin rod 14 is attached lo the hell crank and is slidable within a guide 15 on the upper portion of the car E at one end thereof. This rod 14.- hiis a, handle or grip 17 by means of which it can be readily pushed and pulled: The collar 18 is secured to the rod lll and a spring 19 is secured at its ends to this colliii and to the guide 1f so as to hold the rod yieldingly in noi-unil position. From this position the rod can either he thrust downwardl or pulled upwardly against the action o the spring lt). i

Additional cranks .20 and 2l are extended from the shaft 8. livotally mounted on the crank 2t) is a bracket :J2 provided with ruperposcd guides 23 and 24 in which a.

pin 25 is slhlably mounted. This pin has an eye 3G at its upper end and mounted or the pin is a spring 27 which thrusts against the guide 2l and against a collar 2S or the like carried by the pin so that the eye 2G is thus held normally pressed against the guide 24. A pawl 29 is pivotally inountedhetwcen ears $30 extending downwardly from the guide extension 2 and this pawl has a tail piece 3l extending loosely through the eye 2G. The head of the pawl is heavier than the tail portion so that under normal conditioiis this head will gravitate away from the ratchet teeth 6.

A spring 32 is connected to the crank 21 and to the car structure and serves to exert a constant pull on said crank so as to hold it either raised or lowered when moved past the dead center. When the crank 2l is inclined downwardly and held by the spring 2 as shown in Figure 1 the guide 24 thrusts downwardly against spring 27 which, inl turn, thrusts through collar 28 on the pin 2t), thereby causing the eye 26 to pull`downwardly on the tail 31 of the pawl. Thus the head ot the pawl is pressed yieldingly into contact with the toothed portion 6 of the rack o. When the brakes are applied the piston rod B will be projected outwardly relative to the cylinder ,A and as the raeli; bur 5 is connected to the piston rod, it; will likewise niove relative to the cylinder so that certain ot the teeth b' will slip over the piiwl 2l). 'thus the pawl, cooperating with the ratchet teeth will hold the rack and the piston against retrograde movement and will eep the brakes applied even though air should leak from the cylinder. Should it be desired to release the brakes the operator thrusts downwardly on the rod 14 so that the crank 11 is thus pushed back vvardlyv away from the bell cra\n-k` 1 3 and crank 21 is moved upwardly past its dead center Where it will be held by the spring 32. This rotation ot shaft 8 will -result innthe crank thrustin the bracket 22'u'pivardly. Consequently t e eye 26 will be raised and push against the tail 31 of the pawl, forcing the head of the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet tooth. Obviously this actuation of"` 'shaft 8 could be effected, if desired, by rotating one of the cranks 10. After the brake has been released the parts can be\reset by pulling the rod 14 upwardly so as to move the crank 21 downwardly past its dead center, pull the pin downwardly and elevate the head of the pawl where it Will properly engage the ratchet teeth. As be-v for stated springs 32 will hold the shaft 8 in either ot the two positions to which it might be moved. A

llt' is to be understood that the struct-ure constituting this invention can not only be attached to de cylinder as illustrated but can be bolted or otherwise attached tothe -car at any desired point. Furthermore the r teeth ot the rack can be so formed as to lit the ratchet brakes already in use, it merely Lacasse alsA an operator for shifting the bracket in either ot' two directions, and yielding means tor holdingr the bracket in either position to which it may be shifted.

. 2. The combination with brake mechanism :including a lever and means for actuating Athe lever, of a bar movable with the lever and having ratchet teeth, a pawl, a guide for the bar, a rotatable shaftv` means under the control of an operator for rotating the shaft, yielding means for holding the shaft in each of two extreme positions to which it may be rotated in either direction, a crank on the shaft, a bracket mounted thereon and adapted to be raised and lowered thereby during the back and forth rotation of the shaft, and yielf" ig means carried by the bracket for shitting the pawl into and out of engagement with the ratchet teeth.

lin testimony that I claim the foregoing as i my own, 1 have-hereto ailixed my signature."

` FRED LEE COLLNS. 

